The Grandparenting Blueprint – Richard Eyre (Part Two)

Part Two is a solo conversation with Richard Eyre about the most personal project of his grandparenting work: the body of distilled life wisdom he has spent years developing for his 34 grandchildren — now published in the second half of The Grandparenting Blueprint. This conversation moves from the framework to the practice of how to translate a lifetime of learning into something children can actually carry with them. (Part One is here). This second part of the conversation opens with Richard’s vulnerability, sitting on a beach, feeling like a “spare tire” next to Linda’s natural grandmothering, and asking what role he wanted to play. What emerged was a question every thoughtful grandparent eventually confronts: What do I actually want to pass on? Richard’s answer became a multi-year project of identifying, refining, and teaching age-appropriate life lessons,  first as “principles,” then as “tips,” and finally, when the branding breakthrough happened, as Secrets. Richard shares the Harvard Business School case study method he adapted for nine-year-olds, the silver-dollar memorization incentive (he calls it bribery; I’ll call it incentive compensation…), how his grandchildren became unedited co-authors earning royalties, and the moment he realized the one word he most wanted to embody as a grandfather was not teacher or advisor, but champion. For listeners who are approaching or are already in the grandparent years, particularly grandfathers, who Richard observes are often the ones quietly wrestling with questions of legacy, this conversation offers both a philosophical approach and a practical starting point. The closing challenge to write down 10 lessons from your own life is the kind of exercise that could reshape how you  show up as grandparent for the next generation. _________________________ For More on Richard Eyre The Grandparenting Blueprint:How to Teach Your Grandchildren Life’s Most Important Lessons (Amazon) Also available from the publisher at the author’s price (40% off) https://familius.com/book/the-grandparenting-blueprint/ Use the coupon code EYREFRIEND at checkout Website Part One podcast conversation ________________________ Wise Quotes On Being a Champion “I think what the grandparent wants to do is champion them. I’m your biggest supporter. I’m your biggest fan. I want to know what you like to do. I want to understand what you’re good at and what you want to be good at. Every kid needs a champion — and that’s probably not going to be their parents. So maybe that should be their grandparent.” On the Case Study Method for Kids “Case studies are really just a story. Only you, and the grandchild in this case, are the main person in this story. And I’m not going to finish this story. You’re going to finish the story. So it’s just a great way to teach.” On Rebranding Principles as Secrets “They came across like lectures and the kids were like enduring them rather than embracing them. And so I retooled them. I rebranded them as secrets. And suddenly I had their attention and they really started to matter.” _______________________ Retirement Podcast Conversations You’ll Love Good Grandpa – Ted Page The Long Distance Grandparent – Kerry Byrne PhD All Grown Up – Celia Dodd _______________________ About The Retirement Wisdo